The Dying Lands - A Legolas FanFic
by Ellaaura
Summary: Legolas travels to the Undying lands with his friend Gimli only to discover the orcs have taken over. After being captured along with the elven queen he has no other choice than to be taken in a large attempt for the orcs to take control of Middle Earth one last time.
1. Chapter 1

For a long time, Legolas had hid beneath an old, dry tree while only a short distance away from him, horses thundered down the road, horses with their riders decorated in armor, wearing swords and bows. Legolas was shaking, pressing himself hard against the tree and trying to stop breathing so that he would not be discovered.

He had left for this unknown land, he had come here blind, with no plans. Now he was alone in the wood, surrounded by enemies and without an idea what to do or where to go. The unknown lands had all been taken over by a different, new, army of orcs. Their skin was gray, with a yellow tint, and Legolas could smell death from his hidden place.

At least he was still alive and unharmed, he had been separated from Gimli, he worried for him. Legolas admonished himself. He would not think of death as a possible outcome of this tight situation. He had to wait until the riders had left, and then he would go on to find his friend.

Finally the riders had vanished into the wood and Legolas dared to leave his hiding place. Slowly he got up, stifling a groan as his cramped muscles complained, he had been sitting for about an hour, and then all of a sudden a strong hand gripped his shoulder, pulling him back against a hard body. Legolas struggled in panic but quickly stopped resisting when he felt a cold, sharp blade against his skin.

"What do we have here?" a cold voice said, and Legolas froze with fear, he did not recognize the voice of this orc.

There was a really strong, punch to the top of the head and he was out like a light, to be carried away to god knows where.

His eyes opened quickly, just before a harsh slap to the far. He stared out in the dim-ly lit room. His hands were above his head, shackled to a stone wall. He was not completely touching the ground, he had to stand on his toes to take some of the strain off his wrists.

"Rise and shine, elvie" one of the orcs said. Legolas was confused, but he was wide awake now. His shoulders and the side of his face ached. He stood silently, bot of the orcs had their back turned to him, they were looking at something on the table in front of them.

There was a sick feeling in his stomach, almost like guilt, or knowing he did something terribly wrong, but he was not in the wrong here. He had done nothing to provoke such actions, other that maybe be second in line to the throne of a realm which was very important to the function of middle earth.

One of the orcs turned to face him, Legolas flinched, bracing himself for the blow that never came. "You. Son of Thranduil. Where is your father now?" The orc asked. "I set of from Mirkwood, traveled here without him. I assume he is in his kingdom, where he belongs" Legolas suggested bravely. To be honest, he had no idea where his father was, but he didn't really care either. "Why did you come here?" The orc asked. Legolas was surprised at the orcs patient, usually nothing like this ever happened, he would have usually already been dead by now.

There was only about ten seconds behind he was taken down from the wall and escorted off to another room, down many flights of stairs, to was he assumed was a dungeon. The air smelt of old water and decaying leaves. He didn't dare glance behind him, he knew there was an orc only about two feet from him, with a sword and decent height and strength against him only about two feet away, but he sensed there was something else behind him.

They walked down a long dark stone hallway, before he was abruptly shoved sideways into a room. The room was small, with the same stone walls. He knew it was simply a prison cell, nothing special. He walked on, out of the reach of the overly aggressive orc. Legolas stood, a little bit rattled. The orc stepped out of the way and stared down the hallway, like he was waiting for something. Legolas's eyes didn't move from him. He felt defeated, but he knew he would figure out a way to escape. He mainly wanted to know why they wanted to know where his father was.

He could hear scuffling noises from the hallway, but the orc seemed unfazed. Legolas's brow furrowed, he was confused. There was a loud slapping noise, and a whimper. He recognized quickly that it had come from a woman, and his eyes widened. He watched as a second, even larger orc stepped forward, beside him, he pulled an elvish woman. His had fit completely around the upper bit of her arm. She was shorter, maybe only about five feet tall.

The orc, in one swift movement, shoved the girl right into Legolas, sending them both tumbling backward. Legolas had caught himself with one hand on the wall, and had caught her from falling as well. The orcs just laughed, slamming the metal bar door shut and walking away. When they had reached the end of the hall, they closed another door, leaving the hall and their room without much light.

The woman pushed herself up and wobbled away from Legolas. Legolas simply stood, even more confused than before. The woman was thin, athletically built. She had long, straight, chestnut brown with a tint of red hair, with a braid down the center. She had the largest, emerald green eyes he had ever seen on an elf. Her nose was thin, everything about her was petite, innocent looking.

She stood with an antsy, stressed out attitude. She wore a dark gray under dress, it was long sleeves, and came up high on her neck very modestly, the collar was folded down to expose her own collar bones. The linen like fabric went all the way down past her knees. The over dress was a dim and cold white, its sleeve was only about three fingers thick and rested on top of her soldier, the neck went down in a curve, very low, exposing the ties of the under dress. It was tight to her waist, but it split just below the last tie and covered the sides of the under dress skirt. She wore a pair of knee high, dark gray leather boots. Her forearms were protected by braces of the same leather. There was no place on her waist which suggested she had carried a weapon before now.

"Who are you?" Legolas asked. The woman did not respond. She had wandered over to the door, her fingers curling around the bars loosley. "Do you speak?" He asked. She nodded. "My name is Espen" she said quiet and timidly. "I am Legolas" he said. There was silence. "Why do you come here" The woman asked, glancing at him. He was a little surprised by how she could tell he wasn't from around here. "I come from the Woodland Realm in Middle Earth, looking to start a knew life. I was separated from my friend and brought here" He said. "Why are you in here?" He asked. "I am in charge of the elves here, what better way to declare war than to contain the leader?" she suggest. Legolas was appalled. That meant she was a queen.


	2. Chapter 2

Legolas didn't know what to do, whether to bow before the queen, or if she would take it as a sarcastic and cocky gesture and be displeased. Legolas chose to stand still, studying her. She was beautiful, she looked like she made a great queen, a natural leader, but she also looked weak and very submissive. He could tell she was not easily convinced, but she was easily threatened and intimidated, it wasn't hard to overpower her.

She sighed, her hands falling from the bars to her sides. She strolled over to the corner of the room and sat down, her knees pulled up to her chest, like a shield. Legolas did the same, he was exhausted. They could both sense that they were going to be here, wherever they were for a while, and that they would probably never be set free. They simply sat in silence, listening to each other breath. The orcs did not return, so they both assumed it was safe enough to rest.

Legolas watched the queen as she fell asleep, she slept with her face to the wall, curled in a ball in the corner, her arms crossed over her chest. She breathed silently, barely moving. It had to have been about and hour before her lay on his side and fell asleep. His was on high alert though, listening for noise, anything which would suggest their danger, but the only noise he could hear was the queen and his own breath.

He knew hours had passed when he woke, but he didn't know exactly how long. His first instinct was set on their safety. He glanced over at the woman, he had shifted closer into the corner, and had rolled to face him, but her eyes remained shut. Legolas made note that it was a little bit lighter in here than normal, which suggested that something was different. He stared from his position on the floor at the door. There was no light, but from down the hall, he could see a faint gold light flickering.

He could feel the hair on the back on his neck and arms stand on end with a great sense that danger was coming. He shifted to a position he could stand quickly from, but was too tired to stand yet. He glanced back over at the woman, who's green eyes watched him. She sensed it too, sitting up, staring at the door.

It was several agonizing minutes before an orc appeared silently, holding a grungy lantern. He stared in towards them. It was the same orc that had brought her here. She sat stiffly. "My, my, do you two ever look guilty." The orc hissed with a chuckle. Elves were clearly a joke to him. The orc opened the door with a key he had attached to his belt. As he fiddled with the lock, the woman had crawled right over to Legolas fearfully. Legolas shifted to shield her from the orc.

"How cute" the orc said, barreling for them, he simply ignored Legolas, reaching past him to grab the woman's arm. He raised her to her feet and began to pull her back to the door. She dragged her feet in protest, scratching at the firm grip he had on her. He simply pulled on her harder. They had gotten to the door, the orc held her against the wall with one had while he locked the door again.

Legolas had been just a second late, reaching his arm out of the door to reach her. She grabbed his hand with her free arm. The orc yanked her arm and she exclaimed with a gasp, letting go of Legolas's hand.

Legolas watched as she struggled from his grim. She had managed to pull herself free once, but he simply shoved her forward and she was grabbed by a different orc. He sat there, feeling guilty. He shouldn't have let the orc take her, now it was his fault. His knees felt weak and his head felt guilty, but the only thing he could do was anticipate Espen's return.

• • •

Legolas had fallen asleep again, propped up in the corner, by the time she was brought back. Legolas had been startled awake by the abrupt opening of the door. The door slammed against the wall with a loud clang, he jumped, opening his eyes to see Espen pushed in. She strolled back into the room without protest, she was tired of fighting and being overpowered.

Legolas stood to meet her, but his originally chip expression dulled quickly.

There was a small slice on her cheek, just below her temple, a finger's width from her eye. The corner of her bottom lip was also bleeding. Her wrists and hands were scratched and the side of her neck was slightly bruised. Her ears were both red, as if they had been pulled. Legolas used his sleeve to dab the blood from her cheek. Her hands reached up, grabbing his hand and simply holding it. She was pained, but nothing she would overcome. Her rib cage hurt, like something was pushing on her chest. Her hips and lower back ached as well.

"What happened?" Legolas asked, holding bother her hands with just one. She licked her chapped lips and too a deep breath. "The head orcs name is Pagioth (page-E-oth) He needed to know some things about the other elven kingdom, on the other side of the Undying lands, but I wouldn't tell him." Legolas's brow furrowed. "Why didn't you just tell him?" he asked. "Because I know that their kingdom is even weaker and more defenseless than mine was." she coughed.

Legolas was distraught seeing her in any pain, it wasn't simple, almost like attraction. "I'll be fine" She insisted, letting go of his hand and shifting into a more comfortable position. She yawned, rubbing at the eye opposite the slash. Legolas was not tired, he was angry, he wanted out of here, so he could run ask his father for help, to help Espen re-claim her homeland. Espen laid down in the same spot she had laid before, facing the wall with her eyes closed. From here, he could see another slice and a deep purple bruise at the base of the back of her neck.

Legolas pulled his legs up in front of him, his blond hair falling behind him. He waited, waited for the orc's return. While he waited, he had headed over to the door, to inspect it. It was designed quite intelligently, the hinges were guarded by a metal box, so they couldn't be taken off and the lock was at an angle impossible to access from the inside. He noticed, as he looked closer, there was a broken bar at the bottom; where the bar met the frame of the door at the bottom, the welding had rusted away. This sparked an idea. Legolas slowly began working away at the rust at the top with a small and flat chipped piece of concrete.

He was trying to go as fast as he could, but when he heard noises from down the hallway, he panicked and pulled on the bar with all his force. There was a satisfying clinking noise and Legolas had fallen backward, in his hand, he stared at the metal bar. He felt even more guilty, what if he screwed up, when if one of the orc guards notices the bar is missing? Legolas pressed himself against the stone wall, out of side, waiting for the orc to come.

It was just one orc, a smaller one, he could hear it. He listened to the orcs close mumbling as it unlocked the door. The bar ached in his hands, he was having a hard time waiting for their escape. He watched the door get pushed open, and the orc step in slowly. A chill was sent down his spin, but he ignored it, and proceeded the hit the orc as hard as he could with the bar. There was another loud noise, this one startled Espen awake. They both watched the orc fall backward into the doorway, his eyes shut, there was a little indent where Legolas had hit him. Both of them stood over the orc, staring down. They glanced at each other, stepping out of the room cautiously. They had completed the first step to freedom, but they both knew there were many more to come.


	3. Chapter 3

Espen watched as Legolas pushed the small orc back into the room and locked the door on him. Hi made sure to place the keys in his view, but out of his reach before they walked off. They headed down the dark hallway silently, trying their best not to get caught. It was surprisingly easy, no one seemed to be around. He wondered what the orc had originally been coming down to tell them, but it didn't matter. They climbed at least three flights of unprotected stone floors undetected before they found their weapons in a room with no door.

He picked his bow from it's place on a hook, mounted to the wall, and his quiver which was filled with arrows. She had a much daintier weapon. A thin, fencing like sword. The blade was long, thin and defiantly sharp. There was a long elven saying carved down the length of the blade. The handle was separated from the blade by a shiny, silver, diamond shape guard. The grip was black leather wrapped around the end of the metal, there where four columns, one on every side on the grip, of turquoise gems. It was not a weapon one would sword fight with, it was a weapon you would murder with. Silent, light, pliant and deadly.

She slid the sword through a look on her waist, the blade sliding down between the over and under dress she worse, an almost perfect hiding place. She also retrieved a silver crown, a simple half moon shape on entwined birch branches, that would sit on the top of her forehead under her hair. She didn't put on her crown, she slid it into a large pocked in her dress. They made sure to be silent, the last thing they wanted was to be caught in the middle of a great escape.

Legolas strolled towards the closed door, on the other side of the room as to the door the came in. Espen followed him, on the lookout for anything potentially life-threatening. She knew, as an elf, that they only died when they were severely injured, so a stab to the middle wouldn't kill them, it would have to be to the heart, but she still feared for her life as she hated pain, and she hated seeing others in pain.

Legolas listened for movement outside the door before very slowly and cautiously opening it. He had no idea where they were in this stone palace, or how to get out. She didn't know anything either, this was certainly not her palace, and this place was certainly not in her realm. The glanced down the hallway before they crossed. He was headed towards wherever he saw the most daylight, which usually mean there was a window or door. As they wandered around, trying to be as stealthy as possible, they began to feel hopeless, like they were going around in a circle. They were both kind of surprised that none of the orcs had noticed that they were missing yet.

Legolas and Epsen stopped at a four way split in a hallway, they sighed. "This is getting, tedious" She said. It had required effort before, but now it felt like escaping was blatant work. "How do we get out?" Legolas whispered. Espen shrugged. Let's just go that way" she said pointing down a hallway. They both jumped when they heard a scuffle behind them, beginning to sun. Espen sprinted, Legolas was close by her side, they ran down the curving hallway, until they got to a tall staircase.

They could see shadows coming their way down the hallway. Espen went first, jumping, skipping every other step to go faster. Legolas went up the stairs quickly, but he had decided to talk normal, to prevent the breaking of his ankles. When they reached to end of the tortuously long stair case, they turned a corner with high hopes. Espen sighed, she was getting fed up with the complexity of, wherever they were. Legolas sighed to. "This is, ridicules" He said quietly. Espen simply nodded. They couldn't go down, she could hear voices, talking in a language she had never heard before.

She glanced around. "We're stuck. There is no where to go from here" Legolas said. Espen shook her head, there is always this way" She said, climbing up to the glass-less window. They were, it a bell tower, which lacked a bell, but they stared over an older, run down fort. They were in a high place, of a high place. The fort stared down over the edge if a cliff, below it, a small farming community. Elves did not live here, this was different, not a dwarf village either. She was confused. "We have to jump down," she said calmly, almost like it was normal. "you can't just say that like you do this everyday" Legolas joked. She smiled. "No, seriously, we have to jump into the water" she pointed. He came to her side, staring down.

"It's pretty high" he said wearily. The voices were getting louder, she was starting to panic again. "Just jump" she said, climbing up onto the ledge. The air was cool, as if fall was upon them. She imagined the water was much colder. She could hear the voices getting too loud for her liking. She jumped first, soaring as far from the window as she could. Legolas watched her glide through the sky, turning so her arms were first, then her head and the rest of her body to follow. He was going to wait for her to land before he jumped. She dove into the water with minimal splash. He waited, listening as the voices kept getting closer, but still weren't close enough to kill him.

The water was colder than she expected. She dove under the surface, shocked by the sharpness of the cold. She didn't react, heading to the surface quickly. She stared up at Legolas, waving a wet arm to signal him down. She watched him leap from the tower before she realized he had done it wrong. He fell through the air on his side, unable to turn forward. She knew he was going to hit the water on his side, and it would probably hurt, but at least it was better that being killed by an orc in a high place.

He hit the water with a decently loud slapping sound. She paddled over to him with a smirk on her face, they were safe for now. He swam up to the surface, a little disoriented but uninjured. She laughed. "well, that wasn't as graceful as it could have been" she teased. He nodded, starting to glide through the cold water towards the stone covered bank. She pulled herself up, soaking wet and cold. "So we're free; but I just realized for forgot a very crucial part of our plan... what do we do now" she asked. There was a pause, Legolas shrugged, and for the first time they laughed together.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time they had dried to a presentable level and they had warmed up, they decided to move into the settlement. They tried to go ans suspicious as they could. They pulled their hair over their ears, but it was still pretty easy to tell that they were elves. Neither of them looked poor, because they weren't, and neither of them looked starved, because they weren't. They lacked everything they needed to blend in. They strolled down the dirt roads, searching for signs of the residents. There were no dwarfs or elves. There was a rather, peculiar feeling about the town. They trolled past a row of small houses, all connected together when there was a noise, a creaking sound. Legolas glanced over his shoulder only to see a door open and a man stand, a human man, stare out at them.

"Psst" he whispered, getting Espen's attention. "Come inside" he said in an urgent, hushed tone. They glanced at each other before they slipped inside wearily. Legolas went first, did not fear them. As she followed him inside, her instant reaction was to check behind the door for anything that could entrap them. Legolas glared at her, like she was crazy and she was going to be the one who got them killed. "Sorry, I'm a little, on edge" she said with a crease between her eyebrows.

The man had left the room, leaving them standing in a room bare of furniture. The only thing in the room was a white candle on a brass plate that sat on the floor in the middle of the room. There was a long wait before the man came back. It hadn't taken Legolas long to figure out Espen's nervous habit, every elf had one. He would fiddly with the treads on his pants of the bottom of his shirt, and pick them loose. His father's was the consistent tapping of his feet/the inability to stay still and when he is nervous or worried he does really make eye contact.

Espen was different. Legolas stood in the corner of the room, farthest from the door. Espen stood beside a window, in between him and the door. She was standing perfectly still, other than her hands. Her left hand, she would use her ring finger to pick at the skin on the side of her thumb, creating a sore area, wither her right hands, her would snap her fingers. She could do both of these at the same time, which demonstrated that she was very coordinated and that she could thing about more than two things at once. He also noticed that as time went on and she got more nervous, the snapping go louder.

It didn't bother Legolas, anything to prevent someone from getting stressed out.

They both looked up, the snapping instantly stopping when the man came back with a woman, who looked his age. He was probably in his early fifties, he had long gray hair that was pulled back in a ponytail, dark brown eyes and rather tan skin. She also had gray hair, which was pulled back in a bun, her eyes were outlined with wrinkles, but it didn't take away her beauty. "Oh my" the woman said, bowing her head. Espen looked confused. She glanced at Legolas, looking for an answer. "You can relax" He said, dismissing her bow.

"You are both fools for coming here" The man said. Espen crossed her arms. "After the orcs took over, there has been a curfew, anyone seen outside after four in the afternoon, is killed on sight." He said. Espen knew it was later than that, the sun was setting. She had started to fiddle with her fingers again. "How long has it been like this?" Espen asked, leaning against the wall. "At least a week" The woman said. Espen felt sick. The orcs had come from Middle Earth, over the mountains, and taken over an old fort, which was used to defend.

Legolas wasn't listening anymore, he had been distracted by something outside. Her peered out through a split in the boards, which had boarded up the windows. He watched as a group of eight orcs walked by, passing their door and onward. Espen continued to chat on with them, about what had happened to them earlier. Both of the farmers looked appalled. Legolas wandered over to Espen, feeling lonely in the corner of the room. "We need to leave" he said quietly.

He was not feeling right about the orcs marching up and down the street. "Horses." Espen said. "Do you have a horse?" She asked them, a glint of hope in her eye. The man shook his head. "All the lives-talk was confiscated to prevent anyone from leaving, but scouts say it's hidden in a barn on the other side of the fort." The woman said. She wandered off in the other room. The man followed her, sensing the elves needed to figure out a plan. "I say we steal back two horses" Legolas suggest. "I agree, but getting over there will be tricky." She said. Legolas shrugged. "We could wait until it is dark" He said.

Espen nodded. "We'll travel over the mountain, maybe there are people, who can help us in Middle Earth." She said. Legolas nodded. "My father, Elven King of the Mirkwood Realm can help. He has plenty of men, and I know he would do anything for other elves" He said. His father was not very fond of Humans, or dwarfs, but he hated orcs more.

They had developed a strategic escape plan, to steal a horse and go over the mountain, before the woman came back, carrying two leaver bags. Espen smiled in thanks, taking the pouch carefully. "You're so kind, but we can manage" she said. She almost felt like she was stealing, like she had made the woman feel like it was required to give her such food items. "No no," the woman said, shaking her head, "you need it more than we do. We farm." She said. Legolas smiled. "Thank you" he said.

Espen smoothed down her hair, staring out a crack in the window. "If you don't mind. We had some things to attend to, you may stay here as long as you'd like" The woman said, nodding before she left. Legolas looked down at Espen. "She was so kind." She said. "Do citizens of the Undying lands know you're the queen, or are you just, queen of a specific realm?" Legolas asked out of curiosity. "Well, as of lately, I have been queen of 50% of the undying lands, after my older brother Brecken, took over the other 50%" she said. "Took over as in, conquered, or as in, it was given to him" Legolas asked.

"I had decided he could have it, I was finding it a little hard to control both halves. There is no border between the kingdoms, we work together." She said. Legolas made a face. "Where is your brother now?" She asked. "He's missing. He went missing in the Spring, leaving his half to my father to babysit. While I know he has gone off to illegally trade and bet his kingdoms money" Legolas could tell her family was a sensitive topic, so he decided to change it.

"What do you do, when you aren't being a queen" He said. She thought. "I like to hunt, and I like to explore." She said. "What do you love to do?" He paused. "Your favorite thing?" he asked. "Love is a strong word, so is favorite" she said. He crossed his arms, undaunted by her stubborn act. "Aren't you obstinate" he said. Espen smiled. "Now, now" she said. "Don't use words you can't spell" she teased. She enjoyed being able to joke around with him. Around him, she didn't feel like she had to act responsible, and like she knew what she was doing, like he wasn't judging her.

They stood silently, looked at each other. They would have stared at each other, exploring each other's faces with their eyes if it hadn't been for a very loud and violent knock on the thin wooden door.

( Mind my grammar mistakes. I am good at spelling, but sometimes I miss things. )


	5. Chapter 5

Legolas jumped, startled. The man came into the from room. "Run" he whispered. Espen carried the leather pouch with her as she ran as quietly as she could through the house. The woman lead them down stairs, to a small room before the basement. "You can climb those stairs, and get out" she said helpfully, pointing at the cellar door which was lead up to by some stairs. She shut the door, leaving them in the dark. They listened, listened for the voice and the orc.

"The prisoners are missing, we are lead to think you are harboring property of the orcs." one of them said. It sent a shiver down Legolas's spine. "Property." he whispered. Espen rolled her eyes. "They wish" she mumbled, headed for the doors. Legolas hesitated before they he followed her. He found amusement in the way she moved swiftly and silently, not making the sounds of footsteps. She was so particular about how she did everything, she also did everything the same way, nothing was ever interesting or new.

She reached out, pushing the door up, trying to be as quiet as she could. She gently set the door down on the ground and proceed up the stairs. She had not expected to be grabbed by the sides like she had. It stunned her as she was hit with a strong force, that was the orc that had dragged her from her cell just this morning.

She was not having it. Espen was silent, she kicked and flared around until her arm was free from her side, pulling her sword with it. The orc dropped her, as she had sliced his hand. He let out a groan of pain, drawing his own sword. It didn't take her long to figure out that his objective was not to kill either of them. Espen sighed when Legolas had crept to her side, waiting for the orc to make the first move.

There was not a long wait before the orc swung for their legs. Espen slapped her thin blade against the orcs the a loud chiming sound. They were involved in some clever movement, which was all Espen's doing, before Espen's hand _slipped _and pierced the heart of the orc. She glanced at Legolas, who had not helped her. She knew he hadn't done anything on purpose, he wanted her to have the satisfaction of killing the orc.

Espen felt unbeatable, but she didn't plan on killing anyone else for the rest of the night. Espen concealed her sword once more and proceeded off into the tall grass. They had headed down a hill behind the house when the orcs had caught her attention. She watched as the man and woman were dragged from their home and put out on the dirt road, for everyone to see. Espen stopped short, watching. Legolas stopped beside her.

They watched as one of the larger orcs raised a large knife, bringing it down with such force. The could both hear the woman scream, the man had been killed first. Espen's eyes widened, she was speechless. Legolas' mouth opened a little bit. "We have to do something" She said, putting her hands up on the wooden fence in front of them. "No, we can't, we won't make it" He said, placing his hand on her shoulder. Espen pulled her shoulder away harshly, letting go of the fence and proceeding to walk down the hill side.

She didn't speak, she simply crossed her arms and walked on through the wilderness, away from the fort, out of everyone's view. Legolas gave her distance, he didn't want to start an argument and attract attention. As he walked, he kept his eyes peeled for a run down barn, which was where the horse were being kept.

• • •

They had come across the empty barn, which was unprotected, stolen two horses and headed across the river for the mountains when the sun finally dipped below the Horizon. They galloped off into the distance. They didn't talk to each other, Espen was still angry, either that or she was deep in though. She held her horses reins in one hand, the over crossed across her middle.

The air was getting colder as the night progressed and as they got closer and closer to the beautiful white capped mountains. They were silent. Legolas watched her. She didn't move, her arms remained crossed and she remained sitting in the same position as before. He needed to figure out a way to get her to talk to him, he was starting to feel lonely. He felt guilty for leaving Gimli out there along, but something was telling him that Gimli was perfectly fine.

"Espen!" Legolas called out, trying to get her attention. Her horse stopped, but Espen didn't look over her shoulder. "we should stop here for a little bit!" Legolas shouted to her. She was pretty far ahead of him. Espen simply dismounted her horse, laying in the grass across from it. Legolas approached on horse, sliding off gracefully. He stared down at her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, blinking at her. She stared up at the sky, the orange and pink setting sky reflecting on her eyes like they were mirrors. "Yeah" She said with a sigh. Legolas shook his head at her. "No, you're angry" He said, shifting his weight. She stared up at him. "I'm not mad. I'm irritated. The Undying lands has nothing for the Orcs, just a poor version of Middle Earth." She said.

She stood up, swaying back and forth. Legolas stood beside her attentively. "I lied to you" she said guiltily, turning to fave him, a sorrowful look on her face. "When the orcs took me this morning, they had asked me where my brother had gone, not where his kingdom was. He isn't missing. He's gone to look for you're father. He means no harm I promise. He was going to originally set up a protection, truce, I guess." She rushed her words, not breathing between them. Legolas was confused, but impressed. "You're more complicated than I though." He said.

Espen's eyebrows raised slightly. "You're not mad?" she asked him. Legolas shook his head. "I would have lied too. Either way, lying or not, it doesn't change the fact the your land has been overthrown and that you are both in danger." He said. She smiled in relief. The gleam in his eye was reassuring to her. Legolas walked past her, leading his horse towards a tree behind them. He sat under the falling leaves of the tree quietly, his horse nibbling on the remaining grass nearby. Espen hesitated before she went to him.

He sat, staring upward at the tree's branches and at the sky. Espen stopped a couple meters away. "You look, deep in though" she said with a smile. "I am" Legolas nodded. "I am just thinking, why didn't the orcs go blind being outdoors while the sun was still out?" He wondered. Espen sat on the ground, pulling all of her hair over to one side. She stared off towards the thick pine forest, which was where they were headed next, also thinking about it.

She was bothered by the fact that she didn't know why they hadn't gone blind. "That is very interesting" She said, picking at the grass with her fingers.

"What were you're parents like?" Legolas asked. Espen looked up. "That's an, erratic, question" She said. He nodded. "I was just curious. I didn't know my mother for very long. She was taken by orcs and we never saw her again" He said. It didn't pain him anymore, it had happened when he was merely an elfling, only about three hundred years old.

"Well, when I was young, Brecken was born about two hundred years before me, which is unusual. When I was born, I didn't have the same father as Brecken, but at the time Brecken and my mother lived with his father, it was confusing. Both fathers left, they felt betrayed. I still talked to my birth father, we were close, that was when he married the elven queen of the Undying lands. He gave me a choice, to be with him and to be his daughter once more, or to go with my mother and Brecken. I was foolish and felt, almost black mailed and went with him." She explained.

"I had never really liked his new wife, but I could tell everything she did she meant well, she was just, odd." She paused, trying to remember. "But, one day she decided she couldn't handle being queen, so she stepped down, which also meant she stepped down from out little family, leaving my father or I." She said. "He chose to stay with his wife, so I became the Queen"

Legolas listened. "Your father didn't marry for life?" He asked. Elves usually only had one spouse, and usually only one child. She nodded. "My family has never believed in having one love, I on the other hand, was raised around many different people, so my beliefs are what they believe, to keep them happy" She said. "And your mother, was involved with more than one man?" He also thought that was a little, strange. Espen couldn't help but sarcastically smile and laugh a bit. When other people explained her life it sounded. "Yeah" she said. It was true.

Legolas smiled at her laugh. "You're much easier to talk to as a queen than I would expect. You don't yell at me when I don't address you as _my lady." _He said. She nodded. "I don't know, elves from my kingdom address my as that, but elves from other realms, like you, I don't really hold it to them. I think it is because I know I am not it charge of them. Like I am not in charge of you" she said.

"You're right. My father is in charge of me, technically, but I, as you can see almost clearly, do when I want." He joked. Espen smiled, crossing her legs in front of her. The slice on her cheek had almost gone, the bruises on her neck and temple had faded to a sore pink. "So what led you to coming to the Undying lands?" she asked. She swore she had asked the same question once before, but his answer fascinated her. "I was looking for adventure. Middle Earth had just recently won a war over, magical rings and the lust for power, but once that was over, there was nothing left to defend, so I came here. I don't know what interested me in the Undying lands, but I am glad I came here when I did."

Espen nodded in agreement. She was glad he had come too. She could just imagine herself sitting in a lonely stone room, with nothing else to look at but gray and nothing to anticipate but pain and starvation. As she trailed off inside her head, thinking about what it would be like if he wasn't here, she imagined her people, her friends and maybe her own family, sitting away in their own stone rooms, suffering. She wanted so badly to help them, to stop what the orcs had started so quickly, but the attack had been so unexpected and quick, it left her feeling empty and helpless.


	6. Chapter 6

It had taken them two days to climb to the top of the mountain. They had not been disturbed by orcs or enemies of any kind. Neither of them had any idea as to what was going on, why Aman was so important. It had never been attacked like this before. This was different, kind of like a threat. Espen had suggested many things, but they had only settled on one answer. This was some sort of ransom attack. The orcs wanted to hold everyone here, keep them alive but just barely, as if to black mail someone else into something.

They reached the peak of the mountain by early morning, the sun rising over them to cast their shadows down on the untouched snow behind them. Legolas faced ahead, trying to plan a route to get to the nearest body of water. Their food was running out, but they would make it. Neither of them had slept, elves didn't need sleep. Espen faced her Undying Lands with a look of sorry.

She felt guilt for leaving everyone at such a time of need. She could see for miles on end from their view point. The fort they had once been locked away in was just a speckle in the distance. She could see the separation of realms. Her realm flourished with the changing colors of autumn, and she could see very far in the distance, Valinor. She wondered about their situation, but she couldn't help but think they could manage themselves. Elves were not as strong as the Valar, they thrived more in wisdom and strategy then physical strength.

The Ainur had their own realm, which was beyond her home, divided from them by a great wall. Aman had many plans ahead now that the war of the rings was over. Or at least it was meant to be over. She felt that the orcs had come back from that war, angry as ever. They wanted something, no one would do such things without motivation.

Legolas glanced at her as she pulled her over dress around her tighter. "Are you cold?" He asked, turning a bit to face her. She shook her head. "Thinking of the war not being over sends a chill down my spine" Legolas looked down at her. "It's over. The orcs that survived just want to get, revenge I guess. There are many more elves than there are orcs out their" He told her, trying to sound reassuring. She nodded, she wanted to believe him, believe that everything was going to turn out alright, but the destruction she had already seen in her life caused her to worry.

It had taken them several hours of hiking down the mountain side, not leaving footprints as they did not sink below the surface of the snow. Neither of them rode their horse, the horses were struggling in the door snow. They had given the horses the fruit from their leather packs and kept the other things for themselves, but they were running low. They tried to only eat when the sun rose and when the sun set now.

Espen walked on the other side of her horse, Legolas in between her horse and his own. They didn't really talk. Espen was too short to see over her horses back. There was no conversation, they were focused on getting down from the cold. Legolas's hands and ears had turned red and sore from the cold, but he could manage, Espen trailed on, used to the long but peaceful winters her realm often had.

"So." Legolas began, breaking the silence. "Where do you think the Valar are?" he asked. Espen had to think. "It wouldn't surprise me if they are helping people in their own realm outside of Aman first, if this problem has spread that far." She said. "But I also have the feeling they are trying to help the elves in Aman, because that was their original purpose of coming here. Either way they can't do it alone, my army has been taken and Mirkwood is the closest and pretty much only other option, unless you wanted to travel to Rivendell first." she offered. Legolas shook his head. "My father can help, then maybe the Noldor elves will notice something is wrong.

Espen peaked out from behind her horses neck, look at him with only one eye. Legolas didn't notice her stare at first, but eventually their eyes met and he couldn't help but grin. Espen didn't say anything at first, but she spoke up. "Who is your father, exactly." She asked. Legolas glanced ahead as he dodged a pine tree, his horse starting to slow behind him. "His name is Thranduil." Legolas started. "He is 6, 843 years old. He has been king of the forest realm from three quarters of his life." Legolas said. "Your realm is Mirkwood, right?" Espen asked. It seemed every time Legolas heard _Mirkwood. _It made him cringe. "It was Mirkwood, before the darkness was lifted, but now it is called Eryn Lasgalen, or Greenwood." Espen's facial expression flattened out to an emotionless nature. "Oh" she said, understanding. Legolas nodded.

It didn't take long before the land flattened out and turned to a mix of rock and dirt, the tree's got more scarce and they came upon a valley. It was quite beautiful and peaceful. From this side of the mountain it appeared nothing bad was happening in Aman, but to say nothing was happening would be like to say the sun would never shine again.

Espen climbed up on her horse. They had left the saddles and other tack at the base of the other mountain, so the horse wouldn't be weighed down. She held onto her horse with her tights, balancing on the horses spine. She held on to the base/back of the horses neck for extra balance. Legolas was more skilled, he held onto the horses mane with only one hand, his other hand keeping him balanced as the horses cantered onward.

Espen was really being bothered by her sword, which was rubbing at her leg, the cold metal stinging her skin, but she made no deal out of it. She had nothing to complain about compared to her people. She was free and right now she despised it. She despised being privileged while other, equal or lesser than her suffered in confinement. Legolas glanced at her, but his glance quickly turned into a gaze. "What?" He asked. He had seen her spirit fade, she was betting more and more depressed about everything, he could tell she felt guilty.

She opened her mouth as if to speak the first time, all she wanted to do was tell him that she felt bad for leaving, she wanted to go back and fight inside her realm, for her home, but her eyes caught on something in the distance quickly. Legolas was startled by her change in attitude. "What?" He asked, unable to see what she say. "There's an orc" she whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

Legolas sprang into action, jumping off his horse into a treeline. Espen fallowed obediently. They sat quietly, waiting for the orc. "Are you sure you saw one?" Legolas questioned her, whispering. "I am sure" Espen defended herself. "Are you sure you aren't just imagining things, you have been acting quite strange!" he protested. Espen glared at him. It was a minute before the orc stepped out of the tree line, only to be followed by five elves, who's hands were bound and they were struggling to walk.

Legolas recognized them as Silvan by their long blonde hair. He didn't know who they were, but he knew they were from Greenwood, by their uniform. They worked for his father. Legolas crouched behind some shrubs, out of view. Silently he slid an arrow from its place on his back and pulled it back with the bow string. He was taking aim when Espen gently grabbed the arrow, her hand between the string and the bow. "Keep the orc alive. I have some questions for it" She whispered, her hand withdrawing from the arrow so he could fire.

With one swift move the arrow had been delivered to the orcs knee. The elves drew away in shock as the orc collapsed in pain, but he was not dead, just unable to walk. Espen darted out of their hiding place first headed straight for the other elves. When the other elves saw her, they smile with relief, but they beamed more when Legolas came as well. They all went down on one knee in unison, bowing their head. "en main" _"My Prince" _they all spoke in unison. Legolas nodded and the rose. She drew her sword, cutting the bindings carefully, she was planning on re-using them. She collected the rope from the five of them as she went.

The elves did not speak at first, but as Espen got around to the fifth person they all thanked her. "You are all probably confused" Legolas started. "Aman has been invaded by orcs" he said, gesturing to the orc who lay on the ground behind them, clutching his knee in pain. "We need to get back to Greenwood to inform the Elvenking" He spoke to his people with a strong attitude of authority, which was much different from how he talked to her.

"Our king sent us to find you, he want you to be informed of a threat on Greenwood" One of the five elves said in Sindarin. Espen glanced at Legolas, she kept her sword out as she left the group to visit the orc. She watched as Legolas talked with the group, her eyes flicked back to the orc, focusing on the fetal position it laid in.

"Look at you!" Espen snapped, standing tall above the orc. "You dare come here and invade my home land, but you can be brought down by a mere arrow." She said. She was just out of the orcs reach. "You disgust me" Espen said. She tied his hands first, then he stood up. she had the knife held over her head, to his throat. She tied the ropes together, then around his waist to, connecting his hands to his belt so he couldn't swing them around.

"Do you speak?" Espen asked. The orc simply spat at her. Espen pointed the needle sharp end of her sword at him. "I asked. Do you speak!" She hissed. Legolas looked back at her, she was being a distraction to the plan he was trying to sort out, but he was impressed by the way she handled herself. She jabbed at the side of the orcs neck, drawing the slightest bit of blood.

"I do" The orc growled. Espen smile. "Great" She said, clapping her hands together like she had dirt on them. She walked back over towards the group with the orc, hie was not getting away anytime soon. Legolas studied her rope work briefly. "Good job" He said. "These elves brought a ship here, it was left on the coast untouched." He told her. Espen nodded.

They started their voyage to the shore by mid-day. The sun peeked over the valley brightly, seeking to warm the grass one last time before winter began to fall upon the land. Espen walked with her eyes closed. She was tired, lacking of energy. Legolas raised an eyebrow, but he didn't both her. The other elves didn't say a word, they were too focused on being respectful. The orc was being dragged by their horses, Espen had tied the ropes around their hips. Legolas led the two horses. Espen was in charge or the orc. She walked behind him, making sure he behaved.

Legolas glanced at one of the elves, his long blonde hair was braided behind him, for convenience purposes. "You came here to trade with the Valar didn't you?" Legolas asked him in Elvish. The elf nodded. Legolas had been their when his father set up a trading connection between the Valar realm and Greenwood. It was nothing fancy, but for Thranduil it had been a big deal.

"The orcs were waiting for us when we arrived, they weren't interested in anything we brought, they just wanted to take us somewhere. They refused to tell us. We were surprised they didn't kill us on sight" He said, speaking in Elvish with Legolas. Legolas nodded in understand. "None of us had a clue about what is going on. There is no, drive, that we can see that would make them want to do something so bold" Legolas said, glancing back at Espen again. The elf he was talking to couldn't help but to glance too. She was a unique elf, with her dark brown but stiff red hair and her bright green eyes. She wasn't built like the average elf either; she was thinner, but more shaped. She lacked muscle or any weight at all, but she still appeared strong.

She was not intimidating physically, but she gave of a chilling, capable, energy that would make her seem a bit frightening to any enemy. She probably wasn't strong, she probably couldn't life twice her own weight, but that made her more delicate, more beautiful. She glanced up at him with a smile, the orc simply dragged on the ground, leaving a trail are dark red, almost black blood.

She was tempted to join their little group, but she had decided not to, she liked the quiet isolation. Legolas looked back ahead as they approached a little stream. "Aman is such a beautiful place" One of the elves commented. Legolas agreed. No one from outside would suspect something was off. It looked so, picturesque. "Espen" Legolas called to her. "Yes?" She called back sarcastic and dramatically. "Why don't you join us up here. I'm sure the orc will be fine where he is. He doesn't seem to be conscious now does he?" Legolas asked. He was talking strangely to humor her. "If you insist" Espen played along.

Espen increased her walking pace to catch up to the rest of them, glancing back wearily at the orc. Legolas placed his hand on her shoulder, she looked back at him quickly. "It's okay, he's not going anywhere" Legolas said quietly. She nodded and continued to walk.

It had taken them about another hour or so of walking to get to the shore line and the boat the elves had come in. There was plenty enough supplies for them to survive the boat trip black to Middle Earth, then there was about a weeks worth of walking back to their own realm, but they decided it was best to think in the moment. The elves had all made sure the orc was secured behind bars under the deck, they even agreed upon tying him to the back corner. Espen was always down their talking to him, determined to find out as much as she could. She wrote everything down, filling page after page in the little leather bound book she had come across in a create of other miscellaneous things.

Legolas had spent most of his time on board trying to sort things out and preparing himself with for the distance ahead. They had decided to take the horses with them, they were quite helpful. Everything was well planned, and they felt good about every decision they made, but nothing felt better then laying eyes upon Middle Earth in the distance.


	8. Chapter 8

Espen climbed down onto the boardwalk they had docked at. The boardwalk was busy with people moving and placing crates. Everyone on the boardwalk bowed their head when Legolas walked past. They had no idea who Espen was, but that didn't bother her. She was followed by the orc who had been blind folded. They all knew they were being watched. Espen had not managed to get any information from him, not even his name. Legolas told her that Thranduil, his father, could help them.

Legolas fallowed shortly behind Espen, and he five other elves to follow. Espen had learned their names, the oldest, and by far the tallest, was called Huor. There were twin brothers, the second eldest, named Amras and Amrod. There was a married elf, his name was Findecano and the youngest elf, but still at least fifty years older than Espen and 3074, was named Natiel. They all looked the same, they were all tall, with a strong build and long blonde hair. Amras and Natiel wore their hair in a collected ponytail, to keep their unwashed hair from their face.

Espen had braided her hair straight down the center, and the others remained the same way they were before the three day trip across the ocean. "Greenwood is one of the only remaining Elven realms outside Aman" Huor told her. Espen nodded. She remembered after the war of the ring, when the elves decided come to Aman looking for peace and harmony. Her realm had flourished for many months, but it had all changed very quickly. There were a lot of orcs in once place at one time and it was very overwhelming for everyone.

Espen kicked at the limping orcs heel, trying to get him to walk faster. "Have patience" Legolas insisted. Espen sighed with frustration. "If you had been stabbed in the knee would you be able to walk much faster?" Legolas asked. Espen knew he was just kidding, but she felt the need to defend herself. "_Please_ don't tell me you feel sorry for the orc!" Espen looked back at him. Legolas simply smiled and shook his head. Espen sighed a sigh of relief.

Huor kept glancing between Legolas and Espen with a cheerful expression, Espen looked back at him again, then turned one-hundred-eighty degrees to look back at Huor. Every time she looked away from one of them, the other would stare at her, like it was a game. Amras laughed, which encouraged Amrod to chuckle. Espen laughed too. They were all acting like fools because of the stress, they needed things to lighten up, but there was no light, so they decided to provide their own.

Espen glanced back at Amras, who climbed on top of one of the horses, and Findecano who fallowed. They did it to make sure the horses didn't get confused or lost as they had decided to leave the ropes on the boat. The sun was setting over the hillside, which was scattered with collections of trees and rivers. Middle Earth was also a very beautiful place, but Espen felt that it was very disorganized.

• • •

Night fell very quickly, they had traveled rather far, stopped in a small hobbit settlement and bought some food items to take on with them, and then they set up a camp. They had found a little group of trees to lay under. They had tied the orc to one of the trees and the two horses to the other. No one outside the group questioned why they brought the orc with them, maybe it was because they wanted nothing to do with their group.

Espen sat by the fire, across from Legolas, who sat beside Huor. The other four had already gone to bed. They laid in separate area's at the base of tree's, curled up in balls dreaming to themselves.

"Middle Earth isn't much different from Aman" Espen said quietly, using a stick to poke at the fire. "It just has a different energy feel to it" she mentioned. Legolas nodded. "I can say the same about the Undying Lands, they feel much safer. It sounds weird but you feel protected." He said. Espen nodded, it made sense. "That is because that is what everyone before me wanted, to be shielded from the outside world and to live without worry" She said.

"Aman is a new Middle Earth, with less problems and more elves." Huor commented. Espen leaned back against a log Amrod had pulled up to the fire. "I still don't understand where the Valar are and what they are doing. Obviously they aren't contained by orcs." She said. "Valar are very powerful, they can take the form of anything they like. It wouldn't surprise me if they were helping the people on the inside" Legolas said. Espen crossed her arms gently. "Valar are good beings, they live without our rules" Huor added.

Legolas shifted to sit in a cross legged position and yawned silently. Espen glanced up at him, but he didn't seem to notice. Her stare caught on his eyes, watching the reflection of fire danced like she was looking into a mirror. Espen quickly glanced at something behind him when he saw his head tilt every so slightly to meet her stare. Espen pulled her knees up to her chest, staring out at the field that was behind their small shelter of trees. They sat in silence for a long time, every breath was another agonizingly awkward moment.

"Well" Espen whispered. "I think I'll retire for the night" She said, standing up and strolling off quietly. She found the farthest tree and sat at it's base. She watched Legolas from the distance, he talked with Huor now like it was nothing. She imagined, since they both came from the same kingdom, that they knew each other decently well. Espen didn't now them beyond five days ago.

Slowly she sunk down to lay flat on her back, staring up at the clear sky through the leafy canopy. The moon shone down, casting a unique silver light. Espen didn't enjoy the odd feeling of isolation such distance gave her, but she didn't want to be too close to them either. She figured she should at least try to rest, she could just tell that tomorrow was going to be a long day of travel, they still had a far ways to go before they climbed the row of mountains separating them from the elven realm.

She closed her eyes, rolling to her side and tucking her hand under her middle. She could hear the wind and the crackling of the fire. Legolas's voice was louder than Huor's, but she didn't mind.

• • •

It felt like it had been ages before the fire had died down enough to send Legolas over to her. Espen had fallen into a light sleep, but she was quickly woken by the sound of Legolas padding through the grass. Espen shifted, using her hands as supports to keep herself from rolling flat over the her stomach. "Do you mind if I rest over here?" Legolas whispered. She could hear him moving around, but she didn't feel him near her. "it's fine" she whispered, staring out at the land they had already past. Legolas laid on his back quietly, staring at the sky.

Espen couldn't help but to roll over to face him. She shifted to look at him with large but tired eyes. He looked downhearted. "Are you okay?" She asked quietly. Legolas didn't answer for a moment. "yeah I guess" he said. "It's just I left a dwarf friend back in Aman. I was separated from him before I was taken by elves." He whispered. Espen's brow furrowed. "Dwarf, in Aman?" She asked. "He would be the first dwarf in Aman since the beginnings of his people." Legolas clarified. Espen nodded, her cheek rubbing against the ground.

"Aman's people are not prejudice, I imagine they would take care of a dwarf like they would take care of anyone else" she commented. There was a long pause. "What was his name?" she asked curiously. Legolas rolled to face her, if she stuck out her arm, and he stuck out his, there would be about a foot of distance between their hands. "Gimli" he said quietly.

• • •

(I need some feedback, leave a review if you can? Please and thank you) - Ellaaura


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